Singapore shares experience of eTransformation with Bangladesh

FE Report

The Singapore Government and the World Bank jointly organized a knowledge sharing event "The Singapore Experience - Ingredients for successful Nation-wide eTransformation" on the 'Singapore ICT Day event for South Asia’ in the city Wednesday.

The event was important in case of Bangladesh’s journey towards economic development as ICT has improved the quality of life worldwide and acted as a key driver of economic growth for both the developed and developing economy.

The speakers shared experience from the remarkable journey of Singapore since 1980 on using ICT. Singapore is one of the countries that have successfully harnessed ICT for development. The workshop focused on ICT's role in public sector transformation in order to achieve the Government of Bangladesh's vision of Digital Bangladesh. The knowledge sharing event provided the opportunity for Bangladesh and other South Asian countries, who participated by video conference to learn and reflect from the Singaporean experience.

"Information Communication technology is changing the world around us, impacting the global economy in ways difficult to imagine just a decade ago." said Ellen Goldstein, World Bank Country Director Bangladesh "The Bangladesh Government's progressive vision of Digital Bangladesh can act as the catalyst to leverage information communications technology to accelarate economic growth within the new digital economy. Sharing of success stories and experiences of countries such as Singapore will help design and implement an E-governance framework for Bangladesh."

Integrating ICT into the economy and society is essential for development and growth. A good e-Government framework is essential to increase efficiency for public services delivery, to improve the business environment and to enhance transparency. It helps creating jobs and connects rural communities to global knowledge.

"The use of Infocomm Technology, especially in e-Government (e-Gov) adoption, has propelled Singapore into a vibrant high-tech economy in the space of a few decades" said Mr Verghese Mathews, Singapore's High Commissioner to Bangladesh "The close public-private partnership approach we adopted has equipped Singapore's companies with strengths in developing and customising ICT solutions, thus enabling seamless delivery of services to the government sector and public alike. We are delighted to partner the World Bank and hope that Singapore's experience in ICT and e-Gov implementation can be one of the contributions to its member countries' economic development."

Singapore has consistently been ranked among top globally for e-Government and for ease of doing business, and its ICT applications have won international recognition and awards. A well implemented e-Government Framework transforms government services and boost economic output, reduces the business cycle and cost of doing business and helps the economy grow.